Health workers in Nigeria have urged governments at all levels to implement urgent and sustainable policies which recognise and invest in their safety as a precondition to ensuring the safety of patients.
This was the thrust of a gathering organised by the Medical and Health Union in Abuja to commemorate this year’s World Patients Day.
Every 17th of September provides an opportunity for patients, families, caregivers, communities, health workers and policy makers to come under one roof and deliberate on the safety of patients.
A number of times, cases of patients who die untimely or suffer permanent disability as a result of neglect or oversight by health workers are recorded, putting to question the psychological and emotional state of the
health workers.
The outbreak of COVID-19 placed more burden on the health workers who were more often than not the first contacts with the patients outside their homes.
As the world marks this year’s Patients’ Safety Day, which is the second in the series, this gathering draws the attention of all relevant authorities to the challenges facing patients and healthcare workers as well as the
dire need to ameliorate them.
Coming at a time about eighty percent of caregivers in the country have laid down their work tools, speakers advocate the revamping of the nation’s health infrastructure as a precondition to ensuring the safety of
patients.
Some patients believe governments at all levels should do more to appreciate the contributions of health workers for their safety
The signature mark of the global campaign is the lightning up of iconic monuments, landmarks and public places in orange colour as a gesture of respect and gratitude to all health workers.
